Plier type, toggle actuated wrench



JNVENTOR. FOREST GLENN Mc CA/VN ATTORNEY BY @Qi [WW F. 'e. M CANN PLIER-TYPE, TOGGLE ACTUATED WRENCH Filed Sept. 1'7, 1945 vwww l l l July 29, 1952 Patented July 29, 1952 UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE 4 Claims.

My invention relates to a plier-type toggleactuated wrench. When this type of wrench has been applied or clamped to a nut or other object it has, in the past, required both hands of the operator to release the grip of the wrench and the objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a tool of this character with a'grip release which can be operated by one hand by merely shifting the hand along the handle and pressing a releasing lever.

Second, to provide a tool of this character with a grip releasing lever having safety guard flanges to protect the hand of the operator from injury.

'Third, to provide a tool of this character with a pivoted jaw which co-acts with the other jaw to allow se1f-alignment of the jaws and the use of the tool as a parallel-jawed clamp.

Fourth, to provide a tool which has all the functions of a vise grip wrench, pliers, clamp and ratchet wrench, unimpaired by the addition of the grip releasing mechanism.

Fifth, to provide an improved plier-type toggle-actuated wrench which is practicable to manufacture, simple and convenient to use, and which will give efficient and durable service.

With these'and other objects in view as will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions, and a certain modification, as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the characters of reference thereon which form a part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of my invention with parts broken away and in section to facilitate the illustration and with the positions occupied by the various levers of the mechanism when the jaws are apart or open shown in dash lines; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view of my invention taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar or identical parts in the different views.

, The handle I, adjustable fulcrum bolt 2, selfadjusting jaw 3, lever actuated jaw 4, spring 5, lever handle 6, toggle bar 7, and grip releasing lever 8 constitute the principal parts and portions of my invention.

,The handle I is an irregular shaped slotted member, as indicated in Fig. 2 and extends nearly the full length of the tool. At one end the slot is closed to provide an internally threaded support Ia for the adjustable fulcrum bolt 2 Which is threaded throughout the major portion of the length thereof and terminates in a knurled thumb nut 2a at the outer end and this bolt has a knob hereinafter referred to as the fulcrum 21) at the inner end within the slot of the handle I.

The self-adjusting corrugated jaw 3 is pivotally secured to the slotted handle I' as at 3:1 by a medial flange 317, this construction allowing the jaw 3 to align with the surface of the object clamped and in most instances the self-adjusting jaw 3 will move into parallel relationship with the corrugated portion 5a of the lever-actuated jaw This jaw 4 is generally triangular in shape and is pivotally secured within the slotted handle i by the pivot pin db. The helical spring 5 is secured under tension between the lever-actuated jaw d and the handle I. One end 5a of the spring is secured to the jaw d at a point spaced a considerable distance from the pivot pin 41) and the other end of the spring is secured as at 522 so that the jaw 4 is constantly urged away from the jaw 3 into the position shown in dash line at to in Fig. 1.

The lever handle 6 is shorter than the handle I and is likewise a channel member throughout the greater part of the length thereof. One end of the lever handle '6 is pivctally secured as at Get to the jaw 4 and at a point 6b spaced 9. considerable distance from the pivot 6a the toggle bar '1 is pivotallysecured to this lever handle 5, the other end of the toggle bar having a lip la adapted to hook onto the adjustable fulcrum 2b to maintain the toggle bar in place. The action of the spring 5 constantly urges-the toggle bar towards the fulcrum 2b so that the rounded end lb of the toggle bar remains in frictional contact with the fulcrum 2b.

Intermediate the length of the toggle bar I provide an extended lug l'c disposed towards the lever handle 6 and adapted to pass through a hole id in said lever handle a short distance when the lever handle is made to approach the handle i.

The grip releasing lever 8 is a channel member pivotally secured at 8a to the lever handle 6 and saddles this lever handle from the point of pivotal connection at 8a to a point just beyond the pivot 6a and the end to extending beyond the pivot 8a limits the outward movement of the end 81) of the lever 8. When the lever handle is made to approach the handle I the end of the lug 'ic passing through the hole 701 will contact the inner surface of thegrip releasing lever at apoint spaced somewhatfrom the pivot 8a, forc- 3 ing the end 8b of the grip releasing lever outwardly away from the lever handle 6.

Now the clamping or self-holding action of this vice grip wrench results from the over-center movement of the toggle pivot 6b causing pressure exerted on the jaws towards opening the jaws to tend to push this pivot 65 closer to the handle I thus holding the lever handle 6 in locked position. It will be evident that the end of the lug 1c forms a fulcrum for the grip releasing lever 8 so that if the end 812 of this lever 8 is pressed towards the lever handle 6 the pivot 8a is forced outwardly carrying the pivot 6b back over center and releasing the lever handle 6 so that the jaws 3 and 4 can separate. The various parts and portions will then assumethe positions indicated in dash lines in Fig. 1.

In using my invention, the jaws 3 and 4 are brought into juxtaposition with the nut or other object to be held or turned and the lever handle 8 pressed towards the handle I till the pivot 6b passes over center and the jaws are tightlyclamping the object. Unless the tool is-being used on repetitive work-clamping a succession of objects of uniformsizeadjustment of the fulcrum bolt 2 will usually have to be made, the bolt being turned in when a small object is'to be clamped and turned outwardly when clamping a larger object. To-release theclamping action of the tool thehandisslidalong the lever handle 6 and-the releasing lever B is pressed. This forces the end 8a of the releasing lever inwardly pivoting on the end of the lug 1c and forcing the pivot 8a outwardly, carrying the pivot 6b over center and releasing the jaws 3 and Whom the object.- The action of the spring also urges the jaws apart and tends to hold the lever handle 6 away from the handle I. Use of the tool is therefore considerably simplified by the improvements described herein since'only one hand is required to clamp and unclamp an object.

Though I have shown and describeda particular construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions, and a certain modification, I do not wish to be limited to this particular. construction, combination and arrangement, nor to the modification, but wish to include in the scope of my invention the construction, combination and arrangement substantially as set forthinthe appended claims;

Having thusdescribed my invention,- what I claim as new and desire toqsecure by Letters Patent is":

1. A" plier-type toggleeactuated wrench comprising a handle, a jaw on said handle, a lever handle, a jawpivoted to said handle and'to said lever handle, a spring adapted'to urge saidjaws apart, an adjustable fulcrum member on said handle, a toggle bar having one endthereof abutting, said fulcrum member and the other end thereof pivotally secured to said lever'handl'e so that this togglepivot has an over-center handle locking action" when the jaws are closed,La U-shaped in cross section grip releasing lever pivota'lly secured to saidtlever' handle; said. lever handle having. an opening therein and a lug on said toggle b'ar extendable through saidopening adapted to function as a fulcrum for said releasing lever.

2. A plier-type toggle actuated wrench comprisinga handle, a'jaw on said handle, a lever handle, a jaw pivotedltosaid handle and to said lever handle, a spring adapted to urge said jaws apart, an adjustable fulcrum member on said handle; atoggle bar'having one end thereof abut:

ting said fulcrum member and the other end thereof pivotally secured to said lever handle so that this toggle pivot has an over-center handle locking action when the jaws are closed, a U-shaped in cross section grip releasing lever pivotally secured to said lever handle, said lever handle having an opening therein and a lug on said toggle bar extendable through said opening adapted to function as a fulcrum for said releasing lever, said lug being adapted to project through the hole in said lever handle and to force the free end of said releasing lever away from said lever handle when said toggle pivot passes overcenter into locking position.

3. A wrench comprising a handle, a jaw on said handle, a-lever handle having an opening therein, a jaw pivoted to said handle and to said lever handle, a spring adapted to urge said jaws apart, an adjustable fulcrum member on said handle, a toggle bar provided with a lug projectable through said opening in said lever handle and having one'ofits ends abutting said fulcrum member and the other end thereof pivotally secured to said lever handle so that this toggle bar has an over center handle locking action when the jaws are closed; ,a -U-shaped' in'cross section grip releasinglever pivotally secured at its one end to said lever handle on the-outside thereof, and engageable with thelug on said toggle bar when it is shifted towards said first mentioned handle to release the jaws of said Wrench.

4-. A-vise-grip=wrench comprising a handle,- a jaw on said'handle; a lever handle having an opening therein, a jaw pivoted to said handle and to saidlever handle, a spring adapted to urge said jaws apart, an adjustablefulcrum member on said handle, a toggle bar provided with a lug projectable through said opening in said lever handle and having one of its ends abutting said fulcrum member and-the other end thereof pivotally secured. to said lever handle so that this toggle bar has an over center handle locking action when the jaws are closed, a U-shaped' in cross section gripreleasing lever pivotally secured at its oneend to said leverhandle rearwardly of the pivotal connection of said toggle bar with saidlever'handle, said grip releasing lever being disposedexternally of said; lever handle and engageable with said lug on said toggle bar and arranged when shifted to force said handle and saidlever handle away from each other and release the over center handle looking action. I g

FOREST GLENN McCANN.

REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 449,250' Vandegrift Mar. 31, 1891 858,357 McIntire .1 June 25,1907 952,079 McIntire Mar-L 15,1910

1,334,965" Ridings Mar. 30; 1920 1,489,458 Petersen Ami-8,1924 1,561,833 Ciuickshank" Nov; 1'7, 1925 2,299,454 Borchers Oct. 20,1942 2,341,489 Tornborg Feb. 8, 1944 2,443,153 Wells June 8,1948 2,462,709 Ball Feb; 22; 1949 2,478,696- Is'el'e Aug. 9, 1949 2,514,130 Jones July 4, 1950 2,576,286 Eisenberg Nov. 274 1951 

